To be a doctoral student means to devote oneself to a research project under supervision of experienced researchers and following an individual study plan. For a doctoral degree, the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral education is required.
The Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics conducts research in epidemiology and biostatistics across a broad range of areas within biomedical science. The department is among the largest of its type in Europe and has especially strong research profiles in psychiatric, cancer, reproductive, pediatric, pharmaco, genetic, and geriatric epidemiology, eating disorders, precision medicine, and biostatistics.
Part of the success of our department is due to our collaborative spirit where one factor is that researchers at the Department share and co-finance common resources (e.g., IT and an applied biostatistics group). The department is situated at campus Solna. Further information can be found at http://ki.se/en/meb.
We are recruiting a PhD student to join the Psychiatric and Pharmaco-Epidemiology group at MEB. We study the causes, consequences, and comorbidities of psychiatric conditions, primarily in children and adolescents. We utilize real-world data from national registers, such as the Patient Register and the Prescribed Drug Register, along with data from the Swedish Twin Registry (comprising over 200,000 twins).
We are an international group with a collaborative spirit and a broad research network, both nationally and internationally. We hold regular group meetings and journal clubs, in addition to the range of academic and social events hosted by MEB and the international PhD group at the department. More information about our research group can be found here and here. Assistant Professor Isabell Brikell will act as main supervisor for the doctoral project.
The project aims to develop prediction tools to identify youth with ADHD at high risk of severe psychiatric and behavioral outcomes, and enable predicting of treatment effectiveness, thereby aiding clinical decision making and prioritization. The project will use state-of-the-art epidemiological methods and risk prediction modelling, and leverage national registers, clinical data from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and genetic data from one of the world’s largest genotyped ADHD cohorts. The project has a strong focus clinical utility and involves collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of epidemiologists, geneticists, statisticians, and psychologists. The PhD student will also undertake an extended research stay with project collaborators in Denmark.
The student is expected to perform complex analyses of large-scale register, clinical and genomic data. Duties include data management and cleaning, advanced statistical analyses, and coding. The student is expected to, under supervision, lead research projects from idea to publication, including literature review, statistical analyses, write research papers, and disseminate findings (e.g. at international conferences). Depending on the candidate's skills and interests, there are opportunities to contribute to national and international collaborations.
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A creative and inspiring environment full of expertise and curiosity. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Our vision is to pursue the development of knowledge about life and to promote a better health for all. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. As a doctoral student you are offered an individual research project, a well-educated supervisor, a vast range of elective courses and the opportunity to work in a leading research group. Karolinska Institutet collaborates with prominent universities from all around the world, which ensures opportunities for international exchanges. You will be employed on a doctoral studentship which means that you receive a contractual salary. Employees also have access to our modern gym for free and receive reimbursements for medical care.
In order to participate in the selection for a doctoral position, you must meet the following general (A) and specific (B) eligibility requirements at latest by the application deadline.
It is your responsibility to certify eligibility by following the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.
A) General eligibility requirement
You meet the general eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:
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have been awarded a second-cycle/advanced/master qualification (i.e. master degree), or
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have satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the advanced/second-cycle/master level, or
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have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.*
Follow the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.
- If you claim equivalent knowledge, follow the instructions on the web page Assessing equivalent knowledge for general eligibility for doctoral education.
B) Specific eligibility requirement
You meet the specific eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:
- Show proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school.
Follow the instructions on the web page English language requirements for doctoral education.
Verification of your documents Karolinska Institutet checks the authenticity of your documents. Karolinska Institutet reserves the right to revoke admission if supporting documents are discovered to be fraudulent. Submission of false documents is a violation of Swedish law and is considered grounds for legal action.
(A) and (B) can only be certified by the documentation requirement for doctoral education.
We are seeking a motivated PhD student with a keen interest in child and adolescent mental health and existing skills / a strong commitment to develop skills in advanced statistical and epidemiological methods, to conduct complex register-based and genomic research.
The ideal candidate will have a master's degree or equivalent in (bio)statistics, data science, bioinformatics, epidemiology, or psychology. Fluency in English (written and spoken) is essential, as it is the working language of our research group and academia, and fluency in Swedish is highly advantageous due to working with clinical Swedish data.
Previous research experience with large-scale cohorts, register data and genomic data, along with skills in data management, statistical programming and analyses are strong merits.
We attach great importance on personal qualities in this recruitment. As a person, you are self-motivated, interested in coding and statistics, communicative, and have a strong ability to work both independently and collaboratively. The student should be open to undertake a longer research visit with Danish collaborators.
The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship maximum 4 years full-time.
Submit your application and supporting documents through the Varbi recruitment system. Use the button in the top right corner and follow the instructions. We prefer that your application is written in English, but you can also apply in Swedish.
Your application must contain the following documents:
- A personal letter and a curriculum vitae
- Degree projects and previous publications, if any
- Any other documentation showing the desirable skills and personal qualities described above
- Documents certifying your general eligibility (see A above)
- Documents certifying your specific eligibility (see B above)
A selection will be made among eligible applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from doctoral education. The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis.
Karolinska Institutet uses the following bases of assessment:
- Documented subject knowledge of relevance to the area of research
- Analytical skill
- Other documented knowledge or experience that may be relevant to doctoral studies in the subject.
KI applies a salary scale when setting salaries for doctoral students. All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is completed.
Anställningsform: doktorandplats | Anställningens omfattning: heltid | Antal lediga befattningar: 1 | Sysselsättningsgrad: 100 | Ort: Stockholm | Län: Stockholms län | Land: Sweden | Referensnummer: STÖD 2-2549/2026 | Kontakt: Isabell Brikell , | Facklig företrädare: Ann Almqvist, SACO , Elizabeth Valenzuela, SEKO , Bodil Moberg , OFR/ST , | Publicerat: 2026-06-08 | Sista ansökningsdag: 2026-06-30
